A small, Cat A sedan is being finalised by BMW

IS THIS THE new BMW 1 Series Sedan? That’s a big ‘yes’, although strictly speaking it’s a concept car (now on display at the Guangzhou motor show) that shows BMW’s intention to take on the Mercedes CLA-Class.

And yes, a Category A COE model is very likely in the works, so the CLA 180 is directly in the baby BMW’s crosshairs.

The Concept Compact Sedan shows what the 1 Series will look like when it’s launched in late 2016. It will take over from the 3 Series as BMW’s smallest three-box design, but judging from the concept car, the 1 Series Sedan will carry its brand’s trademark proportions: short overhangs, long bonnet, short tail.

The concept car has a panoramic roof and rear seats designed for two people, but at the moment it’s too early to say whether these features will make it into the production 1 Series Sedan (which, some speculate, BMW will simply call the “1 Series”).

Inside, there’s probably too much brushed aluminium to make the production cut for what will be BMW’s cheapest four-door car, but the concept has touch-sensitive, backlit plastic buttons that would help to give the new model a nice and modern look.

BMW’s press material plays up the car’s level of space and openness inside, which is a soft jab at the CLA-Class (which is, strictly-speaking, a four-door coupe if you ask Mercedes). Check out how the front door stretches back towards the B-pillar to let more light into the cabin.

But looking at the car side-on gives you the main hint about the car’s underpinnings and its space packaging.

BMW has kept mum about the Concept Compact Sedan’s mechanical make-up, but the amount of metal ahead of the front wheels tells you that it’s based on the front-drive UKL platform.

That underpins the latest Mini hatchback models, as well as the new Clubman and the all-new Countryman due next year.

But UKL is also being used in the 2 Series Active Tourer and the newly-launched, seven-seat 216d Gran Tourer.

READ MORE > Our review of BMW’s first seven-seat MPV

That’s good news for Singapore because both of those cars come with a 1.5-litre, 116hp turbodiesel engine that would qualify a 116d Sedan for Category A. The implication for our market is that a baby BMW sedan could well go on sale for around the $140K mark at today’s COE prices.

Cars based on UKL are front-wheel driven or all-wheel drive (their engines drive the front wheels, or all four wheels), which means the 1 Series will be BMW’s first sedan built this way. No powersliding or drifting this one, in other words

But the 1 Series won’t be an anomaly. All told, we expect the UKL architecture to be used for seven BMW models:

• 2 Series Active Tourer — Five-seat small MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle) that rivals the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and Volkswagen Golf Sportsvan
• 2 Series Gran Tourer — Also a small MPV, but with seven seats. Not bad to drive, either.
• X1 — Small off-roader with front- or all-wheel drive. Sold here as a X1 sDrive20i (2.0-litre turbo, front-drive).
• X2 (2016) — Sexier version of the X1, with coupe-like styling (like how the X4 and X6 are sexier versions of the X3 and X5).
• All-new 1 Series hatchback (2017) — The current 1 Series hatchback is rear-drive and relatively expensive to build. But it’s selling well here as a 116d. An all-new car will make the switch to UKL and thus, front-wheel drive.
• X1 Sport Cross (rumoured model) — A baby X1 could appear, with a three-door option. It’ll be an entry-level model for people who can’t stretch financially to the full X1, essentially a rival to the Mercedes GLA-Class.

While BMW gets busy on the small car front, the 1 Series Sedan looks like it should tick the boxes necessary for success here: premium badge, four doors, Category A COE eligibility.

But what’s clear from the above is that, for carmakers, there is no longer a single-bullet approach to success. As important as a four-door, three-box BMW 1 Series will be here, it is the only model out of seven to be a sedan.

Can’t decide if you like the new 1 Series Sedan? Here are pics to help:

READ MORE

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